A prolific offender who burgled a couple's Forest of Dean home on Christmas Day while they were out visiting relatives was jailed for 29 months.

Dad of ten Scott Devine was told by a judge that Christmas Day would now be marred for the couple for the rest of their lives because it would remind them of the £11,000 raid.

Drug addict Devine, of Woodland View, Ruspidge, Cinderford, pleaded guilty to breaking into the home of Peter and Annette Bullock in Oak View, Littledean, on Dec 25th last year and stealing jewellery and electrical equipment.

He also admitted handling a radio stolen in another burglary and possessing cannabis.

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He was jailed by Judge Peter Blair for a total of 876 days - approximately 29 months.

Prosecutor Alistair Haggerty said Mr and Mrs Bullock went out to visit relatives at 7.10pm on Christmas Day and returned home at 9.30pm to find the garden gate open and the patio window smashed.

Their property was strewn across floors in the living room and bedrooms after an untidy search.

The total value of the loot and the damage done to the property was £11,000, Mr Haggerty said.

Police found blood at the scene and matched the DNA with Devine.

On Boxing Day officer's went to Devine's home and smashed their way in when he failed to answer the door. They found him in his living room with some of the jewellery hidden in the cushions of his sofa.

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In a car parked outside the police found laptops, iPads and two iPhones stolen in the burglary.

Small amounts of cannabis were also found in his home - as was a £120 radio stolen in a burglary last September.

Devine made no comment when police questioned him.

In a victim personal statement Mrs Bullock said several of the stolen items were of great sentimental value - among them a diamond necklace her mother had bought and a sapphire and pearl ring she had worn since her teens and planned to pass on to her daughter.

She stated that she had felt 'tearful all the time' since the raid.

Mr Haggerty said Scots-born Devine had made 36 previous court appearances for a total of 99 offences, ten of which were burglary and five dishonest handling of stolen goods.

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William Rose said Devine's best mitigation was that he had promptly pleaded guilty.

"Like so many cases that we deal with, drugs underpin this case," Mr Rose said. "As a 12 year old boy he got into the world of drugs in Scotland.

"He managed to get himself clean and moved to Gloucestershire to try to get back on track.

"He spent the last three and a half years clean of drugs but then met Darren Wilkins. It appears that through his relationship with Mr Wilkins he started down a long spiral out of control.

"Wilkins was able to facilitate heroin and crack cocaine. Very quickly my client found himself taking large amounts of both drugs and was out of control again.

"Experience tells us that drug addicts, when they are in need of a fix, will do anything. He apologises to all concerned for this latest offence. He understands it must have caused an enormous amount of shock and trauma."

Devine had been in custody in Bristol Prison awaiting sentence since his arrest in December and had taken the opportunity to attend classes and learn skills. He had amassed an impressive set of certificates and intended to use his new qualifications to get work and stay out of trouble on his release, Mr Rose said.

Jailing Devine as a 'third strike' burglar Judge Blair said his case was a 'sorry tale repeated through the courts of England day after day of people who relapse into drug use and take any way they can find of getting money to feed their habit.'

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The judge added "The aggravating feature of this offence is that it was committed on Christmas Day. Every time Christmas comes around those people, for the rest of their lives, are going to remember what happened to them at Christmas 2016 when more than £11,000 worth of their goods that included jewellery of sentimental value went missing through your criminality.

"I don't need to bring home to you what a misery you are causing other people through your addiction."

*Earlier this week Mr Wilkins, 40, of Oak Way, Littledean, who was named by the defence during Devine's hearing, was found not guilty of taking part in the burglary or handling stolen goods from it.

A jury took less than half an hour to acquit Wilkins, who accepted he had been with Devine that Christmas Day but insisted he did not take part in any criminality.

He said he had invited Devine to his home for Christmas lunch but at about 5pm Devine left to walk home, saying he did not want to play board games.

Mr Wilkins said he stayed in with his family that evening, watching TV and playing games.

The next day, he said, he was asked to give Devine a lift and he agreed to do so. When he picked him up, Devine put a carrier bag into the boot of his Ford Mondeo, but he thought nothing of it, he said.

He then drove to Devine's flat where he went inside to have a cigarette with him as an "act of goodwill" as it was Boxing Day and he knew that Devine would again be on his own, he said.

Before Mr Wilkins could leave Devine's flat, the police attended and when Devine refused to open the door, they forced entry.

Wilkins said he gave the police his car keys and advised them to check the boot as he remembered that Devine had put the carrier bag in there. The police found the electrical items in the boot and two stolen mobile phones under the passenger seat.

His only involvement had been to act charitably towards a man he knew would otherwise be alone throughout the festive period, he added.